Let’s talk biscuits. There are many different recipes for them using a multitude of ingredients for some very different flavors as well as the traditional flavors using milk or buttermilk. I think every family has a biscuit recipe that’s been handed down from generation to generation and our family is no exception. My great-grandmother Ellen Silvia had an AMAZING biscuit recipe she created and shared with certain family members. Not all, but some. And here starts the problem of keeping family recipes secret. The recipe card has been lost. I cannot find it anywhere and I about had a meltdown over that fact. I was literally the last person in my family that had it. I do not have anyone I can call and get a copy from. Nobody else has it. I was devastated for MONTHS trying to recreate her recipe to no avail. I was heartbroken over loosing this recipe and there was no one who could help me.
And then one day in 2018, I was gifted a copy of an amazing cookbook. This cookbook was perfection, and I was cooking my way through it. The cookbook was Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering by Joanna Gaines. This cookbook was amazing. It was filled with real, down to earth recipes for real, down to earth families and it used ingredients that one didn’t have to fly to Paris to put in their possession. It was just absolute comfort food for everyday and I was in heaven cooking my way through it randomly. Then one day I had a lifechanging experience. I really wanted to make my grandma’s biscuits but because I lost the recipe card it wasn’t going to happen, so I found myself once again combing through Joanna’s recipes looking for inspiration as I had so many times before when suddenly I noticed a recipe I had not noticed before this day. This fact is absolutely comical to me now because this recipe is actually the first recipe in the cookbook. It can be found right on page 18 and yet before this particular day I had never noticed it. I feel like my grandma played a part in seeing that recipe that day. So, I read the recipe and thought to myself “Gee, I have everything right now to try these. I wonder if they taste like grandmas?” And I decided to try them. Afterall… the picture of her biscuits looked just like my grandmas, so I feel it was just meant to be on that fateful day.
The recipe was simple to follow. It contained only a few steps and it could even be made the night before if you wanted to have them hot from the oven the next morning. You could also freeze them which appealed to me as well. I love having things ready to go in the freezer that help to make my life a bit simpler. Especially in the morning with 4 little ones needing Nana’s attention or time for one thing or another. I grabbed all the ingredients and dove right in. I was actually excited to try these. I sifted, mixed, grated and mixed some more before putting the bowl in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes according to Joanna.
Once the dough was chilled it was time to turn it out onto a floured surface, roll it out and cut out the biscuits. I used a 2″ cookie cutter, but you could use anything to accomplish this, including a glass or mason jar. You could actually smell the creamy butter and the buttermilk during this process. Those amazing scents were all around me and filled the air like a burning candle. I was getting hungrier by the second. It was so hard to not just eat the dough right then and there. You do not need to use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. In fact, Joanna says in the recipe to just use your hands and flatten to about 1/2″. However, I like to take the opportunity to use one of my antique rolling pins any chance I get so that’s what I chose to use. Every time I get the chance to use one, I cannot help but imagine all the different doughs this pin must have rolled out throughout the years. It makes me wonder about the owner before me. Where were they from? What did they make?
Once the biscuits were all cut out, they were placed on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I like to crumple up my paper into a ball and then smooth it back out before laying it on the cookie sheet. I find that this helps it to lay flat and to not curl on me. Then I gave them a little egg wash with a beaten egg and some buttermilk. This will give the biscuits a nice, golden color. If you do not use a milk or egg wash on your dough it will not get golden. I have always said one eats with their eyes first and so presentation of your food is very important. If it doesn’t look delicious and appetizing, it probably will be overlooked for something that does look appealing, regardless of the flavor or aroma.
Next, they went into a preheated 400* oven and baked for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and flaky.
I don’t even wait for them to cool. I love to slice one open and put some creamy butter on one to melt into the biscuit. Then I like to drizzle honey over them and eat them nice and warm. My husband likes them with just some creamy butter on them and my grandchildren like them with some butter and some of Nana’s strawberry jam. But I can promise you they’re delicious without anything at all on them.
These buttermilk biscuits are the real deal. They taste just like my grandma’s did and they were simple and easy to make. My family loves it when I make them and it’s a sad, sad day when they are gone. I’ve included Joanna’s recipe from her book below for you to print off easily and try for yourself. If you’ve never tried her biscuits before you need to rectify that immediately. Your family will genuinely thank you for them and they’ll quickly become your go-to buttermilk biscuit. You can check out my video on these on my You Tube channel by clicking here https://youtu.be/ziMLh_7GOFk
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy this recipe and I’ll see you all real soon. XOXO- Shawn
[recipe title ="JoJo's Buttermilk Biscuits" servings = "8-10" time = "20 mins" difficulty = "easy"]
- 4 c. Self-Rising Flour, Plus, more for the counter surface
- 2 lg. Eggs beaten, Plus another for the egg wash
- 1 1/2 c. Very Cold Butter, Cubed or shredded
- 1 1/2 c. Buttermilk plus additional Tbsp. for egg wash.
- 2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
Wisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Cut in the butter cubes with a pastry cutter or even your own fingers. Use a wooden spoon and stir in 2 beaten eggs and the buttermilk. Cover the dough in the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and flatten to 1/2″ thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter until all the dough is used. Place on parchment paper and egg wash each one. Bake at 400* for 15-20 minutes.
[/recipe]